B-DEANEBRINK-PAI 


iWM&'tfaPMwtaeiitiat 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

Martha  3,   Deane 


LIBRARY 

DON  C.BF.Ov 


ATHLETES   OF  THE  BIBLE 


UNFAMILIAR  ASPECTS  OF  FAMILIAR  MEN 


A  Study  Course 

for 

Boys  and  Young  Men 


B.  Deane  Brink 

Director  of  Special  Activities,  Department  of  Recreation 

and  Health,  Young  Men's  Christiaii  Association, 

Boston,  Mass. 


Paul  Smith 

Pastor  Daniel  Dorchester  Memorial 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

Boston,  Mass. 


New   York:      124   East   28th   Street 

London:     47  Paternoster  Row,  E.  C. 

1916 


Copyright,  1914,  by  the 

International  Committee  of  Young  Men's 

Christian  Associations 


Education 
library 


(p€>5 


TO 
DR.  GEORGE  J.  FISHER 

IN  RECOGNITION  OF  THOSE 
QUALITIES    OF    BODY,    MiND 

AND  Spirit  that  make  him 
AN  IDEAL  Teacher  and 
Leader  of  Men,  what- 
ever IS  worthy  IN  THIS 
BOOK   IS  dedicated 


906505 


INTRODUCTION 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  there  are  Bibles 
within  the  Bible — a  Bible  for  youth,  a  Bible  for 
age,  a  Bible  for  the  sick,  a  Bible  for  the  well — 
in  truth,  a  Bible  suited  to  the  various  periods 
and  moods  of  life.  All  this  is  another  proof  of 
the  universality  of  the  Great  Book.  Springing 
from  all  kinds  of  life,  as  it  surely  does,  it  comes 
back  again  to  all  kinds  of  life  with  its  peculiarly 
inspiring  message. 

And  surely  we  do  not  read  far  in  the  holy 
pages  without  discovering  that  there  is  a  boy's 
Bible  within  the  big  Bible.  Each  of  us  can  recall 
the  stories  that  made  their  appeals  to  us  in  our 
boyhood.  We  were  fond  of  Moses,  of  Joseph,  of 
Daniel,  of  Samuel,  and  of  that  anonymous  lad 
who  helped  Jesus  with  the  miracle  of  the  loaves 
and  fishes.  These  serve  as  illustrations  of  the 
fact  that  the  nature  of  a  boy  will  select  a  Bible 
from  the  Bible.  Other  portions  of  the  record 
wait  until  the  youth  arrives  at  maturity,  while 
still  others  wait  to  comfort  him  in  his  old  age. 

Now  this  book  is  an  effort  to  make  more  real 
and  helpful  certain  portions  of  the  Bible,  that 
the  life  of  boyhood  may  be  more  effectively 
served.  Any  man  who  receives  letters  from  his 
son  knows  well  what  is  his  boy's  chief  inter- 
est at  a  particular  period.  Those  na'ive  epistles 
brim  with  the  news  of  recent  athletic  contests. 
When  he  is  at  home,  the  father  sees  the  boy 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

eagerly  scanning  the  pages  of  the  morning  paper 
to  find  the  result  of  the  games.  To  the  seeing 
parent  all  this  is  an  indication  of  the  form  of 
appeal  that  may  best  be  made  to  the  boy's  heart. 
The  wise  father  and  the  wise  teacher  will  not 
fail  to  see  the  point. 

This  volume  takes  advantage  both  of  the 
nature  of  the  boy  and  of  the  nature  of  the  Bible, 
to  bring  the  boy  and  the  Bible  into  company  with 
each  other.  It  introduces  the  boy  to  those 
worthies  that  walk  the  sacred  pages  as  a  kind  of 
holy  athletic  field.  Its  aim  is  to  make  the  Bible 
properly  human  and  to  make  athletics  properly 
religious,  while,  at  the  same  time,  appealing  to 
the  boy  in  the  natural  and  God-ordained  fashion 
of  his  nature.  We  may  be  sure  that  it  can  have 
no  other  effect  than  to  lure  youth  from  fields  of 
physical  contest  on  to  the  place  where  they  can 
wrestle  against  the  rulers  of  the  world-darkness, 
so  passing  from  that  bodily  exercise  which  profits 
a  little  to  that  spiritual  exercise  which  has  the 
promise  for  both  great  worlds. 

Edwin  H.  Hughes. 
Resident  Bishop  M.  E.  Church, 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


FOREWORD 

Several  years  ago  it  was  suggested  to  a  group 
of  boys  in  a  high  school  gymnasium  class  that 
they  ought  to  take  up  the  study  of  the  Bible. 
The  proposition  met  with  cynical  indifference. 
It  was  then  suggested  that  they  might  like  to 
know  about  an  ancient  runner  who  surpassed 
any  Marathon  record  of  modern  times,  beating 
a  king  and  his  chariot  in  a  race  over  a  rough 
mountain  road  in  the  midst  of  a  blinding  storm. 
The  interest  of  the  boys  was  captured,  and  in 
this  form  they  began  to  study  the  biography  of 
Elijah.  A  class  on  "The  Athletes  of  the  Bible" 
was  formed  and  still  continues  as  a  Bible  study 
group. 

The  course  of  studies  thus  begun  has  since 
been  used  in  other  groups  with  equal  success. 
It  presents  the  men  of  the  Bible  from  a  view- 
point which  will  capture  the  boys  and  young 
men.  A  teacher  cannot  have  a  better  point  of 
contact  than  the  boy's  athletic  interest. 

The  object  of  these  studies  is  to  show  to  the 
boys  that  the  men  of  the  Bible  are  virile  and 
their  lives  are  full  of  stirring  interest.  The 
Bible  is  an  out-of-doors  book.  Its  people  lived 
mostly  in  the  out-of-doors.  Their  physical 
prowess  is  noteworthy.  Their  physical  achieve- 
ments equal,  if  they  do  not  surpass,  those  of 
modern  times.  Moreover,  Christianity  should  be 
taught  as  a  religion  of  health  and  vigor,  which 


viii  FOREWORD 

expects,   by    Christ's    help,    a   man's   maximum 
physically,  mentally  and  spiritually. 

The  lessons  are  designed  to  be  elastic  in  the 
time  required  for  teaching.  They  will  fit  a 
longer  or  a  shorter  session.  Perhaps  the  best 
results  will  be  secured  by  adapting  the  material 
under  each  Roman  numeral  to  a  twenty-minute 
study  period. 

It  is  hoped  that  teachers  of  boys'  and  young 
men's  classes  in  Bible  schools  and  in  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  will  find  in  these 
studies  a  corrective  for  the  prevailing  miscon- 
ception among  boys  and  young  men  that  religion 
is  "sissified,"  that  Jesus  was  effeminate,  and 
that  a  real  "man"  has  a  more  virile  business  than 
to  serve  the  Kingdom  and  the  Church.  With 
this  great  mission,  the  book  is  prayerfully  sent 
on  its  way. 

B.  Deane  Brink. 

Paul  Smith. 

Boston,  Mass.,  May  1,  1914. 


CONTENTS 

DAVID,  The  Stone  Thrower:  Control 

I.    The  Athlete. 
II.     His  Training. 

III.  The  Event. 

ELIJAH,  The  Long  Distance  Runner:  Endurance. 

IV.  An  Out-of-doors  Man. 
V.     The  Marathon. 

VI.     The  Endurance  Walk. 

SAMSON,  The  Weight  Lifter:  Strength. 

VII.     A  Man  with  a  Big  Chance. 
VIII.     The  Tragedy  of  Wasted  Strength. 

PETER,  The  Oarsman:  Leadership. 

IX.     The  Oarsman. 
X.     The  Leader. 

PAUL,  The  Swimmer  and  Sailor:  Pluck. 

XI.     Paul's  Athletic  Sympathies. 
XII.     Some  of  Paul's  Plucky  Achievements. 

JESUS,  The   Perfectly   Balanced   Personality:  Bal- 
ance. 

XIII.  The  Physique  of  Jesus. 

XIV.  Balance. 

Appendix: 

"Connie"  Mack's  Views  on  Cigarette  Smoking. 

B.  Deane  Brink:  Physiological  Effects  of  Alcohol 
and  Tobacco. 

George  A.  Bellamy:  The  Moral  Value  of  Play- 
grounds. 

Robert  J.  Roberts'  "Talk  on  Training." 

City  Life  and  Character  Development. 

Bibliography. 


DAVID,   The  Stone  Thrower 


Study  Subject:  Control 

Definition:  Accurate  obedience  of  the 
muscles   to   the   mind 

Biblical  Material:  I  Samuel  16,  17 


'For  the  long  breath,  the  deep  breath,  the  breath  of  the 

heart  without  care — 
I  will  give  thanks  and  adore  thee,  God  of  the  open 

air !" 

— Henry  van  Dyke. 


I.     THE  ATHLETE 

1.  Description  of  David  which  was  taken  to 

the  King.     (I  Sam.  16:18.) 

(a)  Skilled  musician. 

(b)  A  "mighty"  man. 

(c)  Brave,  "valiant." 

(d)  A  fighter  for  good  things, — "A  man  of 
war." 

(e)  "Prudent  in  matter" — good  at  head 
work. 

(f)  A  "comely"  person — attractive  to  look 
at. 

(g)  "The  Lord  is  with  him" — a  man  of  fine 
character. 

2.  Boyhood  Life.     (I  Sam.  16:  11.) 

David  as  a  young  man  lived  a  clean  and 
wholesome  outdoor  life,  rightly  combining 
work  and  play,  responsibility  and  freedom, 
which  will  always  produce  an  athletic  type 
of  manhood. 

3.  David  must  have  been  a  Man  of  Large  and 

Powerful  Physique. 

(a)  Saul,  who  was  "higher  than  any  of  the 
people  from  his  shoulders  and  upward"  (I 
Sam.  9:2)  offered  him  his  armor,  which 
David  "girded  on."  If  the  average  Israel- 
ite was  five  feet  nine  inches,  Saul  must 
have  been  six  feet  six  inches,  and  David 
must  have  been  over  six  feet  tall. 


4  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

(b)  He  wielded  the  giant's  sword  with 
apparent  ease.     (I  Sam.  17:51.) 

(c)  In  his  shepherd  days  he  killed  a  "lion" 
and  a  "bear."    (I  Sam.  17:  36.) 

(d)  His  exploits  in  escaping  Saul's  efforts 
to  kill  him  would  have  been  possible  only 
to  a  man  of  great  endurance  and  superb 
nerve.  This  story  is  found  in  I  Samuel 
18:^. 

4.     Something  More  is  Required  to  Produce  a 
Winner  than  Mere  Muscle. 

(a)  In  I  Samuel  16:6,  7,  it  seems  that 
David's  brother  Eliab,  from  the  standpoint 
of  "countenance"  or  "stature,"  would  have 
been  chosen  king. 

(b)  David  was  chosen  king  because  while  "a 
man  looketh  on  the  outward  appearance, 
God  looketh  on  the  heart."  David  had  fine 
qualities  of  character. 

(c)  Often  in  football  an  end,  like  Poe  of 
Princeton,  whose  weight  is  light,  far  sur- 
passes in  effectiveness  a  much  heavier  man. 

(d)  Fitzgerald,  one  of  Yale's  prominent 
football  stars,  said  he  never  feared  a  dirty 
player,  because  a  dirty  player  never  had 
enough  ability  to  depend  on  his  own 
strength,  otherwise  he  would  not  need  to 
use  dirty  methods. 

(e)  The  fellow  who  is  dirty  in  athletics  is 
very  apt  in  later  life  to  be  shady  in  his 
business  transactions. 


DAVID:  CONTROL  5 

5.  Besides  being  Physically  Strong,  David 
had  Other  AccompUshments.  He  was 
an  All-Round  Man. 

(a)  He  played  the  harp.  (I  Sam.  16:  16-17.) 

(b)  He  sang. 

(c)  He  wrote  poetry.     (See  the  Psalms.) 

(d)  He  had  time  for  fine  friendships,  like 
that  of  Jonathan.     (I  Sam.  18:  1.) 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  is  an  athlete? 

2.  What  seven  characteristics  of  an  ideal  ath- 
lete are  mentioned  in  the  description  of  David? 
(I  Sam.  16:18.) 

3.  Find  evidence  in  the  story  of  David's  life 
that  proves  that  he  was  a  man  of  powerful 
physique.     (I  Sam.  17:36-39  and  51.) 

4.  What  qualities  other  than  muscle  are  re- 
quired to  produce  a  successful  athlete? 

5.  Name  other  accomplishments  beside  that 
of  athletic  ability  which  tend  to  make  David  an 
example  to  young  manhood. 

6.  Can  a  successful  athlete  also  be  a  Chris- 
tian ? 


FOR  NOTES 


^/t£>tAA     /^ItV-lX^ 


4^v  ^^'^c/h(A^ 


-<V 


II.     TRAINING 

1.  The  Value  of  Play. 

David  practised  stone  throwing  while  he 
tended  his  sheep.  This  was  his  play.  Relax- 
ation is  necessary.  "All  work  and  no  play 
makes  Jack  a  dull  boy." 

2.  Physically  Helpful  Diversion. 

David  found  his  relaxation  and  diversion  in 
the  right  way.  Many  fail  at  this  point.  He 
made  his  play  build  up  his  body,  not  tear  it 
down.  If  he  had  found  his  relaxation  in  his 
preparatory  period  in  cigarette  smoking,  for 
example,  he  would  have  permanently  weak- 
ened his  eyesight,  decreased  his  lung  capa- 
city, and  impaired  his  control.  He  never 
could  have  killed  Goliath  if  he  had  not  been 
able  to  obtain  absolute  accuracy  in  stone 
throwing.  (See  "Connie"  Mack  on  cigarette 
smoking,  in  Appendix.) 

3.  Self-Defense. 

His  form  of  sport  also  developed  his  physical 
powers  of  self-defense,  as  do  boxing,  jiu- 
jitsu,  or  wrestling.  He  could  take  care  of 
himself  under  any  and  all  circumstances. 
David,  however,  though  strong,  was  not  of 
a  combative  nature. 

4.  The  Object  of  Athletics. 

All  through  his  boyhood  he  kept  training 


8  ATHLETES   OF   THE   BIBLE 

rules.  This  long,  slow  preparation  alone 
could  fit  him  for  his  unexpected  opportunity. 
Athletics  should  always  be  regarded  as  fitting 
for  life's  later  tasks,  not  merely  as  an  expe- 
dient for  winning  games  or  medals. 

5.  The  Need  of  the  Early  Start. 
Champion  baseball  players  are  not  produced 
in  a  moment.  Their  championship  skill  is 
built  on  the  training  they  received  in  boy- 
hood, as  they  played  baseball  in  the  back 
lots.  A  substitute  pitcher  on  a  major  league 
team,  a  boiler-maker  who  had  just  fallen 
short  of  the  Mathewson  class,  laid  his 
heartbreaking  failure  to  his  late  start. 

6.  The  Physical  Basis. 

The  foundation  of  David's  success  was 
largely  physical.  Lack  of  training  during 
the  boyhood  period  may  condemn  a  man  to 
physical  inferiority  and  to  ill  health  for  life. 
Physical  stamina  is  well-nigh  indispensable  to 
successful  life  work.  While  many  physical 
weaklings  have  done  great  things,  the  vigor- 
ous man  has  a  great  advantage  over  the 
sickly  man.  Mr.  Roosevelt,  the  sickly  boy 
who  became  an  athletic  man,  is  a  good  illus- 
tration of  what  can  be  and  ought  to  be  done. 

7.  More  Important. 

An  essential  part  of  David's  training  was 
moral  and  spiritual.     The  self-restraint  and 


DAVID:  CONTROL  9 

the  high  ideals  thus  learned  helped  him  de- 
velop his  great  physique.  While  he  was  still 
a  boy,  the  report  went  to  the  king  that  "the 
Lord  is  with  him."  The  Bible,  the  Church, 
and  the  Christ  will  greatly  help  the  athlete. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  weapon  was  a  part  of  a  shepherd's 
equipment  ? 

2.  What  opportunity  had  David  to  practise  an 
art  at  which  he  displayed  wonderful  skill? 

3.  What  were  the  physical  effects  of  David's 
amusements  ? 

4.  What  is  the  purpose  of  play  and  athletics  ? 

5.  How  does  play  develop  control? 

6.  What  is  the  fault  of  the  delayed  start  in 
developing  control? 

7.  How  important  are  physical  strength  and 
stamina  ? 

8.  What    beside    exercise    was    an    essential 
part  in  David's  training? 

9.  How  does  Christianity  help  in  the  making 
of  a  successful  athlete? 

10.     To  whom  did  David  give  credit  for  his 
great  physical  strength  ?    (Psalms  18 :  33-34.) 


FOR  NOTES 


A  \    . 


f 


— <.  / 


III.     THE  EVENT 

1.  A  Dangerous  Foe. 

The  bully,  Goliath,  headed  the  formidable 
army  of  Philistines  which  threatened 
Israel's  national  existence.  (I  Sam.  17:1- 
10  and  16.) 

2.  A  National  Need. 

The  failure  at  this  national  crisis  to  find  any 
man  with  skill  and  courage  enough  to  meet 
the  challenge.     (I  Sam.  17:  11.) 

3.  The  Man  of  the  Hour. 

The  appearance  of  David  on  the  scene,  un- 
suspecting the  nearness  of  his  opportunity, 
but  prepared  for  it  by  his  long  training.  (I 
Sam.  17:22-27.) 

4.  No  Effort  at  Grandstand  Play. 

He  fought  with  familiar  weapons,  refusing 
to  participate  in  any  event  for  which  he  was 
not  trained.  He  had  not  "proved"  swords 
and  armor.     (I  Sam.  17  :  38-40.) 

5.  Making  Good. 

Superb  control  in  the  crisis.  He  was  at  his 
best  when  his  best  was  needed.  No  nervous- 
ness nor  stage  fright.  His  training  gave  him 
confidence.  He  threw  a  stone  with  such 
perfect  accuracy  that  it  struck  the  small  open 
spot  on  the  forehead,  the  only  vulnerable 
opening  beneath  the  "helmet  of  brass." 


12  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

6.  Modem.  Parallels  in  Control. 

(a)  Mathewson,  the  Giants'  veteran  pitcher, 
in  the  only  game  won  by  his  team  in  the 
world  series  in  1913,  with  two  men  on 
bases  in  the  ninth  inning,  struck  out  two 
batters  and  saved  the  day. 

(b)  In  the  season  of  1913,  Brickley,  Har- 
vard's great  full-back,  won  the  Yale- 
Harvard  game  by  his  timely  goal  kicking. 

7.  The  Secret  of  Heroism. 

Part  of  David's  success  was  due  to  his  belief 
in  the  cause  for  which  he  wanted  to  win. 
It  was  God's  cause.  He  felt  he  was  fighting 
the  eternal  battle  between  right  and  wrong. 
He  could  answer  Goliath:  "Thou  comest  to 
me  with  a  sword  and  a  spear  and  a  shield, 
but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
of  Hosts."  It  makes  a  difference  whether 
one  fights  for  selfish  gain  or  for  some  great 
unselfish  object.  Read  "Horatius  at  the 
Bridge." 

8.  Divine  Reinforcement. 

It  is  a  simple  fact  of  history  that  the  man 
who  has  God  to  strengthen  him  has  been  the 
man  who  has  accomplished  the  seemingly 
impossible.  The  Bible  speaks  of  one  man 
"chasing  a  thousand,  and  two  putting  ten 
thousand  to  flight."  (Deut.  32  :  30.) 
Lincoln,  on  the  night  before  the  battle  of 


DAVID:  CONTROL  13 

Gettysburg,  was  conscious  of  the  presence 
of  God  and  had  an  assurance  of  victory. 

9.     An    Athlete's  Hymn. 

David,  later  recognizing  this,  sang  thus  of 
the  divine  help  in  becoming  a  successful 
athlete : 

For  by  thee  I  have  run  through  a  troop;  and  by  my 

God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall. 
It  is  God  that  girdeth  me  with  strength,  and  maketh  my 

way  perfect. 
He  maketh  my  feet  like  deer's  feet,  .... 
He  teacheth  my  hands   skill  with  weapons,  so  that  a 

bow  of  steel  is  broken  by  my  arms. 

(Psalm  18:29,32-34.) 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  national  crisis  threatened  the  Israel- 
itish  nation  in  David's  youth?    (I  Sam.  17 : 1-7.) 

2.  Explain  the  failure  of  the  nation  to  pro- 
duce a  man  to  meet  his  emergency.  (I  Sam.  17 : 
7-11.) 

3.  Why  was  David  able  to  do  what  no  one 
else  was  willing  to  undertake?     (I  Sam.  17:  37.) 

4.  Whv  did  he  refuse  the  weapons  offered 
him?  (I  Sam.  17:38-40.)  What  did  he  select 
when  he  met  the  Philistine  champion? 

5.  What  part  did  control  play  in  this  contest? 
(I  Sam.  17:49.) 

6.  Name  some  modern  parallels  showing 
similar  wonderful  control. 

7.  What  is  the  secret  of  true  heroism  ? 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


ELIJAH,  The  Long  Distance  Runner 


Study  Subject :  Endurance 

Definition :  The  power  of  doing  or  bearing 
without  giving  way 

Biblical  Material:  I  Kings  17-19 


"We  do  wrong  when  we  live  beneath  our  privilege; 
and  knowing  that  we  ought  to  exercise  every  day,  we 
sin  when  we  yield  to  the  constant,  deadening  habit  of 
sedentary  life." — Frances  Willard. 


IV.     AN  OUT-OF-DOORS  MAN 

1.  Natural  Environment. 

Gilead,  in  which  is  located  Elijah's  birthplace, 
Tishbet,  "was  a  wild  mountain  district,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Jordan,  bordering  on  the  great 
desert."  This  mountain  range  varied  from 
three  thousand  to  four  thousand  feet  in 
height.  Elijah  always  lived  and  loved  the 
out-of-doors  life.  "Lonely  mountains  and 
bleak  deserts  were  congenial  to  his  spirit." 

2.  Training  which  Makes  for  Endurance. 

(a)  He  camps  in  caves  by  the  brook  Cherith. 
(I  Kings  17:3.) 

(b)  He  wears  a  mantle  of  rough  camel's 
hair.     (H  Kings  1:8.) 

(c)  He  haunts  the  slopes  of  Mount  Carmel. 
(I  Kings  18:  20.) 

(d)  He  spends  some  time  in  a  cave  at 
Horeb.     (I  Kings  19  :  9.) 

(e)  He  sleeps  under  a  desert  broom  (juniper 
tree).     (I  Kings  19  :  5.) 

(£)  He  has  the  iron  frame  which  enables 
him  to  endure  practically  a  forty  days' 
fast.     (I  Kings  19:8.) 

(g)  So  complete  is  his  knowledge  of  the 
country  that  for  three  years  he  can  evade 
Ahab's  soldiers,  so  that  they  think  his 
escape  is  due  to  his  "being  borne  hither 


20  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

and  thither  by  the  spirit  of  Jehovah."  (I 
Kings  18:13;  II  Kings  2:16.) 

(h)  There  is  no  evidence  that  he  cared  for 
the  cities  or  visited  them  except  as  he  came 
on  business  as  the  messenger  of  Jehovah, 
immediately  returning  to  his  wild  home  on 
the  mountain-side. 

(i)  Some  of  these  characteristics  we  find  in 
the  modern  Bedouin. 

(J)  Of  Elijah,  it  has  been  said  by  a  poet 
that  his  father  was  the  mountain  and  his 
mother  the  desert. 

(k)  Living  so  much  in  solitude,  Elijah  must 
have  been  highly  skilled  as  a  hunter.  Pos- 
sibly this  is  what  is  meant  by  saying  the 
ravens  brought  him  meat.  Only  in  the 
drought  was  he  forced  to  go  to  the  widow 
in  the  distant  city  to  find  food.  (I  Kings 
17:8-9.) 

3.     The  Modem  Equivalent. 

In  modern  life,  the  nearest  approach  we  can 
make  to  Elijah's  training  is  fresh  air,  simple 
food,  and  plenty  of  outdoor  exercise. 

'4.     God  in  the  Mountains. 

A  trip  to  the  mountains  is  often  a  revelation 
to  the  city  boy.  One  gets  a  different  idea  of 
God  and  of  nature  and  of  life  in  the  silent 
presence  of  these  endless  solitudes.  The 
mountaineer  has  always  been  an  alert,  sturdy 
and  stern  type  of  man.    Read  "Trail  of  the 


ELIJAH:  ENDURANCE  21 

Lonesome  Pine,"  "Shepherd  of  the  Hills," 
"Freckles." 

5.  God  in  the  Desert. 

A  man  forced  by  illness  to  camp  in  the 
desert,  seeing  no  human  face  except  his  mes- 
senger, who  came  every  third  day,  said :  "Out 
there  on  the  desert  you  can't  get  away  from 
God.  The  silence  is  so  great  you  don't  like  to 
hear  your  own  voice.  And  after  a  few  weeks 
of  it,  you  can't  help  hearing  God's  voice.  It 
is  the  most  certain  thing  in  the  desert." 

6.  The  Source  of  Bravery. 

With  this  training,  it  is  not  strange  that  God 
should  have  been  the  one  great  fact  in  life 
to  Elijah.  Seeing  God  in  his  power  in 
nature,  and  understanding  how  much  more 
powerful  God  is  than  any  man,  King  Ahab 
and  Queen  Jezebel  and  the  soldiers  did  not 
frighten  him  much. 

7.  A  Mistaken  Idea. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing,  the  usual  idea  of 
the  prophets,  as  portrayed,  for  instance,  in 
Sargent's  painting,  that  they  are  effeminate, 
bloodless,  and  weak,  is  a  mistaken  one. 

8.  The  Moral  Equivalent  of  War. 

The  Christian  life  has  been  called  "the  moral 
equivalent  of  war."  The  strongest  and  most 
virile    qualities    of    life    are    required    for 


22  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

Christ-likeness.  It  is  a  pitiful  mistake  to 
think  following  the  Master  is  weak  or  "sis- 
sified" ;  the  stronger  the  man,  the  better  the 
Christian. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  was  the  type  of  country  in  which 
Elijah  was  born  and  lived?? 

2.  What  kind  of  training  made  for  his  great 
endurance?  (I  Kings  17:3,  18:20,  19:5-9;  II 
Kings  1:8-9,  2:16.) 

3.  What  has  been  the  effect  on  the  physical 
life  of  to-day  by  the  change  from  country  to 
city  life? 

4.  How  near  can  we  approach  Elijah's  man- 
ner of  life  under  modern  conditions  ? 

5.  What  effect  have  the  vastness  and  soli- 
tude of  the  mountain  and  desert  on  our  religious 
ideas  ? 

6.  What  is  the  source  of  true  bravery? 


FOR  NOTES 


V.     THE  MARATHON 

1.  The  National  Crisis. 

(a)  King  Ahab  married  the  Princess  Jezebel 
of  Phoenicia. 

(b)  The  reHgion  of  Phcenicia  was  unspeak- 
ably degraded,  resuUing  in  evil  practices, 
as  is  the  case  with  most  Oriental  religions. 

(c)  After  his  marriage,  Ahab  made  this  the 
court  religion  instead  of  the  pure,  uplift- 
ing worship  of  Jehovah.  Jezebel  imported 
four  hundred  and  fifty  corrupt  priests. 

(d)  Whether  Israel  should  become  a  petty 
and  degraded  Oriental  kingdom,  or  the 
nation  should  continue  to  be  the  chosen 
people  who  eventually  would  give  the 
world  Christianity,  its  final  religion,  was 
the  question  at  issue.  (I  Kings  16:29- 
33.) 

2.  The  Saviour  of  the  Nation. 

(a)  The  king  had  absolute  power  of  life  and 
death,  and  for  a  time  no  one  dared  to 
oppose  him. 

(b)  Suddenly  out  of  the  mountains  appeared 
this  mighty  man  Elijah,  who  dramatically 
confronted  the  king  and  told  him  his  sin 
and  brought  drought  and  famine.  (I  Kings 
17:1.) 

(c)  The  king  searched  for  three  years  at 
home  and  in  neighboring  countries  during 


ELIJAH:  ENDURANCE  25 

the  famine  for  Elijah,  but  could  not  cap- 
ture him. 

(d)  At  last  Elijah  again  confronted  the 
king,  and  arranged  the  great  test  of  reli- 
gion on  Mount  Carmel.  The  "fire  from 
heaven"  may  have  been  something  like  a 
bolt  of  lightning  which  struck  Elijah's 
altar.  \l  Kings  18:16-39.) 

(e)  After  it  had  been  proved  that  Jehovah, 
not  Baal,  was  the  true  God,  and  all  the 
people  had  cried  out,  "The  Lord,  he  is 
God;  the  Lord,  he  is  God,"  then  Elijah 
promised  the  end  of  the  drought. 

3.     The  Run, 

(a)  Elijah  ordered  Ahab  the  king  to  hurry- 
home  to  Jezreel  before  the  rain  should 
prevent  his  going.     (I  Kings  18  :  44-46.) 

(b)  He  knew  that  the  real  fight  against  the 
false  religion  had  to  be  fought  with  Queen 
Jezebel  at  Jezreel. 

(c)  So,  under  the  inspiration  of  his  great 
battle,  for  "the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon 
him,"  he  set  out  to  beat  Ahab  to  Jezreel. 

(d)  The  distance  was  sixteen  miles. 

(e)  The  speed  surpassed  that  of  the  war 
horses  attached  to  the  king's  chariot. 

(f)  The  run  was  made  during  a  fierce  storm. 

4.     Historical. 

The  first  "Marathon"  was  run  in  490  B.  C. 
by  a  messenger  bringing  to  Athens  the  news 


26  ATHLETES   OF  THE   BIBLE 

of  the  decisive  defeat  at  the  village  of  Mara- 
thon of  the  Persian  army  by  the  Greeks 
under  Miltiades.  The  distance  was  twenty- 
six  miles,  and  after  delivering  his  message 
the  runner  fell  dead. 

5.  The  Danger  of  Overdoing. 

An  athlete  may  exhibit  endurance  in  wind 
and  muscle  that  far  surpasses  the  capacity 
of  heart  and  kidneys.  The  result  may  be  a 
broken  constitution,  a  dilated  heart,  a  dam- 
aged kidney,  a  life  of  comparative  ineffi- 
ciency. 

6.  Modem  Parallels. 

(a)   Olympic  games  in  Athens,  1896. 

James  Thorpe's  Records  at  Olympic 

Games,  1913 
Pentathlon. 

Running  broad  jump,  23  feet,  3  inches. 
Javelin  throw,  170  feet,  1  inch. 
200-meter  run,  23  seconds. 
1500-meter  run,  4  minutes,  44  seconds. 
Discus  throw,  116  feet,  9  inches. 

Decathlon. 

100-yard  dash,  103-5  seconds. 
16-pound  shot,  44  feet,  3  1-8  inches. 
High  jump,  6  feet,  1  1-4  inches. 
H-mile  walk,  4  minutes,  37  seconds. 
Hammer  throw,  122  feet,  10  inches. 
Pole  vault,  9  feet,  6  inches. 
High  hurdle,  16  2-5  seconds. 


ELIJAH:  ENDURANCE  27 

56-pound  weight,  26  feet,  2  inches. 
Mile  run,  5  minutes,  26  seconds. 

7.     Not  a  Feat  of  Bravado. 

This  Marathon  of  EHjah  was  not  a  mere 
spectacular  athletic  stunt.  It  was  a  great 
piece  of  service  in  an  emergency.  While  it 
might  be  glorious  to  sacrifice  one's  strength 
or  life  to  serve  some  fine  cause,  it  is  no  credit 
to  run  a  Marathon  only  for  self-pride  or 
display.  Physical  strength,  like  all  other 
talents,  is  given  to  be  used  for  making  the 
world  a  better  one. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  Describe  the  political  and  religious  situa- 
tion in  Israel  at  the  time  this  Marathon  occurred. 

2.  From  what  you  have  learned  of  the  early 
life  of  Elijah,  what  sort  of  a  man  was  it  who 
faced  King  Ahab  and  his  queen? 

3.  How  long  did  Elijah  live  an  outlaw  in  the 
Gilead  mountains? 

4.  Describe  the  fire  test  on  Mount  Carmel. 

5.  Give  an  account  of  the  Marathon. 

6.  Name  some  modern  parallel. 

7.  What  are  the  dangers  to  be  avoided  in 
athletics  ? 


FOR  NOTES 


C/Vk     yd  C^ 


<^Qt-r/       i  //^?^ 


VI.     THE  ENDURANCE  WALK 

1.     The  Mountaineer's  Defeat  and  Danger. 

(a)  The  supernatural  manifestations  of  Je- 
hovah on  Mount  Carmel  failed  to  impress 
Queen  Jezebel,  who  vowed  vengeance 
upon  the  enemy  of  her  religion. 

(b)  She  sends  word  to  Elijah  that  before 
another  day  she  will  have  his  life  in  return 
for  the  lives  of  the  slain  four  hundred  and 
fifty  priests  of  Baal.     (I  Kings  19 :  1-2.) 

(c)  In  utter  discouragement,  feeling  he  has 
lost  the  great  battle  to  save  his  nation, 
Elijah  begins  his  long  flight  into  the  wil- 
derness.     (I  Kings  19:3-4.) 

(d)  His  dejection  reaches  its  climax  after 
he  has  covered  nineteen  miles  the  first  day, 
and  he  sleeps  under  a  desert  broom  or 
"juniper  tree"  (I  Kings  19:5).  Fatigue 
lessens  the  power  of  resistance  and  tends 
to  mental  depression.  Temptations  are 
most  dangerous  when  one  is  tired. 

(e)  At  this  time,  he  comes  dangerously  near 
to  quitting,  but  his  grit  returns  in  the 
morning  when  he  is  physically  rested,  and 
he  feels  again  that  God  is  with  him. 

(f)  A  close  study  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  life 
shows  that  his  experience  was  like  Elijah's 
under  the  juniper  tree.  Repeatedly,  as 
before  Gettysburg,  he  felt  a  distinct  re- 


30  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

assurance  from  God  that  there  was  no 
need  to  give  up,  because  the  right  would 
prevail.  Like  Elijah,  he  came  gradually 
to  understand  God's  ways  better  and  to 
trust  him  with  a  more  complete  confidence. 

2.     The  Physical  Aspects  of  the  Endurance 
Walk. 

(a)  Extra  effort  to  escape  the  danger  of 
Jezebel's  threat  carried  him  swiftly  to 
Beersheba  from  Jezreel. 

(b)  Leaving  his  servant,  he  goes  along  "a 
day's  journey"  into  the  wilderness  and 
camps  wherever  nightfall  overtakes  him. 
(I  Kings  19:4.) 

(c)  Throughout  his  journey  he  sleeps  in  the 
open. 

(d)  So  far  as  he  has  food,  he  finds  it  in  the 
wild  country  he  is  traversing.  He  ate  very 
little,  so  that  the  time  is  described  as  a 
"fast."     (I  Kings  19:8.) 

(e)  The  mountain  climbing  and  the  hot 
desert  stretches  made  the  going  so  difficult 
that  it  is  doubtful  if  a  less  hardy  traveler 
could  have  survived  the  hardships. 

(f)  Calculating  the  distance  as  two  hundred 
and  eighty  miles,  he  must  have  covered  an 
average  of  from  five  miles  to  ten  miles  a 
day  for  forty  consecutive  days. 

(g)  The  feat  is  the  more  remarkable  when 
Elijah's  mental  depression  is  considered. 


ELIJAH:  ENDURANCE  31 

3.     The  Purpose  of  the  Walk.     (I  Kings  19: 
9-13.) 

(a)  Elijah  was  running  away  from  Jezebel, 
the  queen,  although  shortly  before  he  had 
successfully  defied  the  king  and  his  army 
and  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  priests 
armed  with  knives. 

(b)  His  violent  and  bloody  effort  to  save 
the  religion  of  his  fathers  had  seemingly 
failed  and  he  wanted  time  to  think. 

(c)  At  Horeb,  "the  mount  of  God,"  he 
would  find  safety  from  his  enemies  and 
could,  in  the  solitude,  learn  from  God  the 
cause  of  his  failure. 

(d)  This  endurance  walk  was  really  a 
search  for  God  and  his  will. 

(e)  At  the  journey's  end,  during  the  storm, 
when  Elijah  had  gone  from  the  cave 
where  he  was  camping  to  the  "mount  of 
the  Lord,"  he  saw  an  earthquake  and  a 
great  wind  and  a  fire,  and  then  heard  an 
inner  still,  small  voice. 

(f)  Elijah  thus  learned  that  while  God  is  a 
God  of  power.  Lord  of  nature  and  of 
physical  strength,  the  appeal  of  the  "still, 
small  voice"  to  conscience  is  the  only  way 
false  religion  can  be  overthrown. 

(g)  Having  learned  his  mistake,  he  returned, 
and  at  last,  by  other  and  better  methods 
than  killing  four  hundred  and  fifty  men, 


32  ATHLETES   OF  THE   BIBLE 

he  succeeded  in  his  life  work  of  saving  the 
reHgion  of  Israel,  and  the  sin  of  Ahab  and 
Jezebel  brought  them  both  to  untimely 
death. 

4.  A  Modem  Parallel  of  Physical  Endurance. 

Mr.  Weston,  traversing  thousands  of  miles 
afoot  each  year,  furnishes  a  remarkable 
physical  parallel  to  the  endurance  of  Elijah. 

5.  Providence. 

In  spite  of  Elijah's  mistakes,  God  cared  for 
him  and  brought  his  bungling  efforts  to 
success.  It  is  a  w^onderful  teaching  of  the 
Bible  that  this  is  true  of  us  all — God  seeks 
us  until  we  find  him,  and  uses  and  overrules 
even  our  mistakes  for  the  largest  good  to 
ourselves  and  to  his  kingdom. 

6.     Seeking  God. 

Every  man  must  find  God  for  himself.  No 
one  else  can  do  it  for  him.  Sometimes  this 
happens  in  a  church  service,  a  men's  meet- 
ing, or  in  a  revival ;  sometimes  it  happens  in 
very  early  childhood.  After  this  conversion, 
when  we  get  personally  acquainted  with  God, 
we  go  on  finding  more  and  more  of  him  by 
continued  seeking.  Elijah  had  his  supreme 
experience  with  God  out  in  the  woods  all 
by  himself,  and  then  came  back  to  serve 
him  where  the  crowds  were. 


ELIJAH:  ENDURANCE  33 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  was  Elijah's  physical  condition  when 
he  received  the  message  from  Queen  Jezebel? 

2.  What  was  the  effect  of  the  message?     (I 
Kings  19:3-4.) 

3.  What  relation  does   fatigue  have  to  this 
mental  attitude? 

4.  In  what  way  does  Lincoln's  life  show  a 
parallel  to  Elijah? 

5.  Describe    some    of    the    aspects    of    the 
endurance  walk. 

6.  What  made  the  walk  a  remarkable  one  ? 

7.  What  was  the  real  purpose  of  the  walk? 

8.  What  methods  did  he  use  after  this  expe- 
rience ? 

9.  What  is  endurance? 

10,  Name  several  parallels  of  endurance? 

11.  What  truth  is  illustrated   in  the  life   of 
Elijah? 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR   NOTES 


W.cAj£r-l^     ,^MXin4J< 


SAMSON,  The  Weight  Lifter 


Study  Subject:  Strength 
Definition:  Capacity  for  exertion 
Biblical  Material:  Judges  13-17 


"It  is  a  good  thing  to  laugh,  to  throw  the  head  back 
and  let  the  blood  into  the  veins,  and  let  the  arteries 
rest,  so  that  we  may  store  up  energy." — G.  Stanley  Hall. 


VII.     A  MAN  WITH  A  BIG  CHANCE 

1.  The  Philistines. 

(a)  After  the  entrance  into  Canaan  of  the 
Israelites  under  Joshua,  they  were  con- 
tinually fighting  for  their  lives  against  the 
surrounding  peoples. 

(b)  Among  the  most  powerful  and  persist- 
ent of  these  enemies  were  the  Philistines. 

(c)  At  Samson's  birth,  the  Philistines  had 
extended  their  power  over  the  territory  of 
the  Danites,  his  native  tribe,  and  over  the 
territory  of  Judah. 

2.  The  Birth  of  Samson.     (Judges  13.) 

(a)  In  great  national  emergencies,  God  has 
always  raised  up  a  leader  for  his  people. 

(b)  In  the  village  of  Zorah,  in  Palestine, 
lived  Manoah  and  his  wife,  who  were 
supernaturally  informed  that  their  own  son 
was  to  be  a  Nazarite,  one  consecrated  to 
God  from  his  birth,  as  a  deliverer  for 
Israel.  His  long  hair  was  the  sign  of  this 
consecration  and  his  badge  of  office  as  a 
Nazarite.  Giving  up  his  hair  was  giving 
up  his  calling.     (Verses  1-5.) 

(c)  Samson's  prenatal  influences  were  of 
the  best.  His  mother  was  careful  of  diet, 
of  drink,  and  of  thoughts,  and  was  an  early 
advocate  of  eugenics.     (Verse  7.) 

(d)  He  was  the  right  sort  of  a  boy,  and  "he 


40  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

grew  and  the  Lord  blessed  him."     (Verse 
24.) 

3.     His  Tremendous  Strength. 

(a)  He  killed  a  young  mountain  lion  or  wild 
cat  barehanded.  This  was  not  an  Afri- 
can lion.     (Judges  14:5-6.) 

(b)  Tied  with  two  cords,  he  broke  them 
with  ease.     (Judges  15  :  13-14.) 

(c)  He  "took  the  doors  of  the  gate  of  the 
city  and  the  two  posts  and  went  away  with 
them,  bar  and  all,  and  put  them  on  his 
shoulders  and  carried  them  to  the  top  of  a 
hill."  These  gates  were  wooden  gates,  and 
the  total  weight  was  between  one  thousand 
and  two  thousand  pounds.  The  hill  was  a 
sandy  hill. 

(d)  He  was  bound  with  cords  made  of 
grapevines,  and  he  broke  them  "as  a  thread 
of  tow  is  broken  when  it  toucheth  the  fire." 
(Judges  16:9.) 

(e)  When  fastened  around  and  around  with 
new  ropes,  he  "broke  them  from  off  his 
arms  like  a  thread."     (Judges  16 :  12.) 

(f)  His  hair  was  woven  into  the  web  on  an 
oriental  loom,  and  with  a  jerk  of  his  head 
he  wrenched  loose  the  fastenings,  pulling 
up  the  stake  to  which  the  loom  was 
attached.     (Judges  16  :  14.) 

(g)  Standing  between  two  uprights  sup- 
porting a  bleacher-like  porch  in  the  court- 


SAMSON:    STRENGTH  41 

yard  of  the  palace,  he  displaced  them  with 
a  supreme  effort,  allowing  the  structure  to 
collapse.     (Judges  16:29-30.) 

4.  Modem  Parallels  of  Strength. 

(a)  It  is  a  common  circus  stunt  for  men  to 
attach  a  chain  to  a  comb  which  fastens  in 
the  hair,  and  by  a  jerk  of  the  head  draw 
out  nails  from  a  board. 

(b)  Clarence  Verrill,  Yale  '99,  as  a  child 
was  sickly  and  puny.  Physicians  agreed 
that  his  chances  of  growing  up  were 
very  small.  Determined,  however,  that 
he  would  live,  he  worked  out  his  own 
cure,  which  was,  in  brief,  fresh  air,  exer- 
cises, and  nourishing  food,  and  in  April, 
1897,  he  broke  all  college  records  for 
strength  tests.  He  was  an  all-round  ath- 
lete, captain  of  baseball,  played  on  football 
eleven,  won  many  track  events,  rowed  on 
the  college  crew,  was  an  expert  swimmer, 
and  was  also  a  prominent  boxer,  fencer 
and  wrestler.  Contrary  to  the  practice  of 
most  college  athletes,  he  never  gave  up  his 
training. 

5.  The  Reason  for  Strength. 

Health  and  physical  power  do  not  mean 
much  unless  used  for  some  spiritual  purpose. 
No  man  can  hope  to  have  as  much  strength 
as  a  horse,  and  if  there  were  no  standard  of 
value  other  than  the  physical   one,  horses 


42  ATHLETES   OF   THE   BIBLE 

would  be  worth  more  than  men.  Often  the 
strongest  man  can  scarcely  earn  a  dollar  and 
a  half  a  day,  and  that  is  because  he  has  not 
learned  how  to  use  his  strength.  A  very 
healthy  and  vigorous  man,  despite  his 
strength,  may  have  a  bad  influence  on  all 
the  community  because  he  is  bad.  Strength 
is  to  be  used  for  service,  and  only  then  does 
it  become  really  valuable  to  the  world.  Pro- 
fessionalism in  sports  has,  through  its  attend- 
ant evils  of  dishonesty  and  gambling,  done 
much  to  rob  the  world  of  strength  and  skill 
which  otherwise  might  have  been  utilized  for 
definite  Christian  service. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  tribe  continually  sought  to  capture 
the  Israelitish  people? 

2.  With  reference  to  leaders,  what  providen- 
tial thing  always  happens  in  great  national  crises  ? 

3.  What  is  true  of  prenatal  influence? 

4.  Tell  some  facts  relating  to  Samson's  birth  ? 

5.  What  is  strength? 

6.  Cite  instances  of  his  tremendous  strength. 
(Judges  14:5-6;  15:13-14;  16:9;  16:12;  16: 
14;  16:29-30.) 

7.  Name  some  modern  parallels  of  strength, 

8.  What  is  the  real  purpose  of  strength  ? 


FOR  NOTES 


VIII.  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  WASTED 
STRENGTH 

.     The  Steps  in  Samson's  Downfall. 

(a)  As  a  boy  he  was  "at  times  moved  by 
the  spirit  of  the  Lord"  and  he  gave  some 
promise  of  making  good  as  Israel's  deHv- 
erer.     (Judges  13:  25.) 

(b)  His  first  act  of  manhood,  his  choice  of 
a  bride,  was  a  mistake.  Against  his  par- 
ents' will,  and  in  defiance  of  patriotic 
motives,  he  married  a  girl  who  belonged 
to  the  enemy,  the  Philistines,  merely  be- 
cause she  was  physically  attractive. 
(Judges  14:1-3.) 

(c)  Betrayed  by  his  wife,  he  began  his  be- 
lated fight  against  the  Philistines,  not  for 
patriotic  principle,  but  for  personal  ven- 
geance, in  order  to  get  even.  (Judges  15: 
11.) 

(d)  Leaving  the  pure  love  of  his  wife,  he 
entered  upon  an  impure  life,  which  quickly 
brought  his  downfall.     (Judges  16:1-21.) 

(e)  With  his  eyes  put  out,  his  strength  taken 
away,  as  a  slave  of  the  Philistines,  he 
again  so  lived  as  to  recover  his  strength, 
and  at  last,  when  his  tormentors  brought 
him  out  to  mock  his  helplessness,  with  one 
final    prayer    for    help,    he    wrecked    the 


SAMSON:    STRENGTH  45 

Structure,  which  thus  became  his  own  tomb 
and  that  of  thousands  of  his  enemies. 

(f)  Despite  his  tragic  end,  Samson  did  much 
to  accomplish  his  purpose.  In  the  collapse 
of  the  building,  many  "heads  of  houses" 
were  slain. 

(g)  This  sad  spectacle  of  wasted  strength 
and  of  physical  and  spiritual  failure  on 
account  of  evil  finds  its  parallel  in  every 
village  and  city. 

2.     The   Workers    may    Fail    but    the   Work 
Goes  OrL 

(a)  Something  more  than  a  great  oppor- 
tunity and  great  native  ability  are  needed 
to  produce  a  national  leader  or  a  success- 
ful life.  Many  a  promising  boy  turns  out 
badly. 

(b)  Samson  had  not  only  physical  strength; 
he  had  cleverness,  as  is  shown  by  the  riddle 
and  the  story  of  the  foxes. 

(c)  What  he  lacked  was  personal  goodness 
and  unselfish  patriotism.  The  two  usually 
go  together.  No  dissipated  man  ever  did 
a  supremely  great  unselfish  work  in  the 
world. 

(d)  Christ,  in  the  Parable  of  the  Talents, 
which  are  lost  if  not  rightly  used,  tells  us 
the  story  of  Samson  in  another  way. 
(Matt.  25:14-30.) 

(e)  God  prepared  the  way  and  gave  Samson 


46  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

every  opportunity  to  deliver  Israel,  but 
even  God  himself  is  helpless  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  stubborn  human  will, 
(f)  But  God  carried  on  his  work  despite 
Samson,  and  a  little  later,  under  Samuel, 
Saul,  and  David,  the  Philistines  were 
driven  out. 

3.     The  Athlete's  Temptation. 

Samson's     physical     makeup    brought     him 
temptations  which  a  less  virile  man  would 
never  have   known.     A  young   fellow   was 
rebuking  an  older  man  for  losing  his  temper. 
"I  control  more  temper  when  I'm  angry  than 
you  ever  had,"  was  the  retort.     As  strength 
and  ability  increase,  so  temptations  increase. 
I :  The  bigger  the  man,  the  greater  his  battles, 
I  j  Christ  fought  three  of  his  temptations  for 
'     forty   days.      Only   as   we   develop   self-re- 
straint and  firm  purposes  is  it  safe  to  have 
strength  and  power  entrusted  to  us. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  was  the  great  mission  Samson  had 
to  perform? 

2.  What  was  the  first  big  mistake  Samson 
made?     (Judges  14:  1-3.) 

3.  What  happened  when  he  avenged  a  per- 
sonal grievance?     (Judges  15:  11.) 

4.  What    was    the    next    step    in    Samson's 
downfall?     (Judges  16  :  1-21.) 


SAMSON:    STRENGTH  47 

5.  Describe   Samson's   tragic   end.      (Judges 
16:30-31.) 

6.  Think  of  others  who  have  made  similar 
sad  spectacles  of  their  lives. 

7.  What  beside   mere   muscle   is   needed   to 
produce  a  national  leader  or  a  successful  life? 

8.  What  did  Samson  lack  in  his  life? 

9.  When  is  God  helpless? 

10.  Was  Samson's  life  an  utter  failure? 

11.  What  men  completed  his  job? 


FOR   NOTES 


x^iJ-^O'k   fV^^^^-'H^^^ 


Oyjt  .^^#^'^ 


u^y 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


PETER,  The  Oarsman 


Study  Subject:  Leadership 

Definition :  Ability  to  direct 

Biblical  Material:  Luke  5:1-7;  John  21:3-7; 
Mark  1:16;  Mark  6:45-51 


"The  gymnastics  that  makes  you  hold  your  head  up 
tends  to  straighten  your  moral  behavior." — Edward 
Howard  Griggs. 


IX.     THE  OARSMAN 

1.  The  Fisherman. 

Peter  and  Andrew,  James  and  John,  two  sets 
of  brothers,  were  partners  in  the  fishing  busi- 
ness on  the  Sea  of  Galilee  for  a  long  period 
before  they  ever  knew  the  Master.  The  Sea 
of  Galilee  is  famous  for  the  number  and 
quality  of  its  fish,  and  Peter  probably  had  no 
difficulty  by  his  day's  work  in  his  boat  in 
earning  a  living  for  himself  and  wife.  (Mark 
1:16-19.) 

2.  Self-Reliance  in  Emergencies. 

The  lake  is  surrounded  by  beautiful  hills 
which  are  almost  mountainous,  and  owing  to 
the  great  difference  in  the  temperature  of  the 
various  elevations,  violent  and  sudden  storms 
are  a  very  frequent  occurrence.  The  fishing 
boats  are  often  in  the  greatest  peril.  Peter  as 
a  boy  and  man,  under  these  circumstances, 
must  have  developed  great  skill  in  handling 
boats.  Power  boats  were,  of  course,  un- 
known, and  instead  of  steam,  gasoline,  or 
electricity,  even  for  the  largest  craft,  sails 
and  oars  were  the  only  known  means  of 
propulsion.  (Storms  are  described  in  John 
6:16-18;  Mark  4:35-38.) 

3,     Characteristics. 

Professional  fishermen,  even  today,  are  usu- 
ally   very    hardy    and    strong    in    physique. 


54  ATHLETES    OF   THE   BIBLE 

Their  calling  is  among  the  most  dangerous  of 
all.  "Fishin'  Jimmy"  thus  described  other 
qualities  developed  by  fishing:  "Patience, 
knowledge  of  the  interests  of  the  fish,  faith  in 
things  unseen,  skill,  delicacy  of  touch,  refusal 
to  be  discouraged,  unlimited  perseverance, 
conviction  he  has  not  exhausted  the  possi- 
bilities of  his  art." 

4.  Some  Biblical  Passages  which  Show  Peter 

as  an  Oarsman. 

(a)  Peter  and  Andrew  in  their  boats  at 
work.     (Mark  1:  15.) 

(b)  Peter  rowing  his  boat  for  Jesus.  (Luke 
5:1-7.) 

(c)  An  exciting  trip  in  a  storm,  rowing 
almost  all  night.     (Mark  6:45-51.) 

(d)  Swimming  from  his  boat  to  the  shore 
to  meet  the  Master.    (John  21 : 1-8.) 

5.  Modern  Parallels. 

(a)  Any  day  on  New  Fish  Wharf,  South 
Boston,  or  at  the  docks  in  Gloucester, 
sturdy  fishermen  may  be  met  ashore  from 
their  perilous  trips,  which  range  the  Atlan- 
tic from  Cape  Cod  to  Newfoundland. 
These  are  necessarily  brave  men. 

(b)  Some  of  the  greatest  men  of  our  day 
have  been  enthusiastic  followers  of  Izaak 
W^'alton,  such  as  Henry  van  Dyke  and 
Grover  Cleveland. 


PETER:    LEADERSHIP  55 

(c)  Rowing  has  come  to  be  one  o£  the  most 
popular  intercollegiate  sports.  To  make 
the  crew,  especially  at  Harvard,  Yale,  Co- 
lumbia, or  Cornell,  is  one  of  the  highest 
athletic  honors.  Ten  Eyck,  Courtney,  and 
other  coaches  have  gained  renown  by  their 
mastery  in  this  branch  of  sport. 

6.     The  Early  Disciples. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Apostles 
whom  Jesus  chose  to  introduce  Christianity 
to  the  world  were  mostly  strong,  out-of-doors 
men,  who  had  worked  with  their  hands. 
They  were  men  who  presumably  were 
of  strong  physique.  To  men  with  red  blood, 
Christ  still  makes  his  appeal,  and  such  men 
need  him  most. 

Questions  for  Discussion. 

1.  Who  was  Peter? 

2.  Describe  the  country  in  which  he  lived. 

3.  Why  were  storms  sudden  and  frequent  in 
this  section? 

4.  Name  some  characteristics  of  fishermen. 

5.  Give  instances  of  Peter's  ability  as  an 
oarsman. 

6.  Name  some  modern  parallels  of  fishermen 
and  oarsmen.  (Mark  1:16-19;  Luke  5:1-7; 
Mark  6 :  45-51 ;  Luke  5  :  2-10.) 

7.  What  evidence  have  you  discovered  which 
proves  that  the  early  Christians  were  physically 
strong  ? 


56  ATHLETES    OF   THE    EIBLE 

8.  Why  do  physically  strong  men  need  Chris- 
tianity ? 

9.  Why  does  Christ  need  strong  and  compe- 
tent men  for  his  kingdom? 


FOR  NOTES 


X.     THE  LEADER 

1.  Qualities  of  an  Oarsman. 

Peter's  life  as  an  oarsman  on  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee, developing  physical  stamina,  resourceful- 
ness, quickness  of  thought  and  action  in  an 
emergency  (as  when  a  squall  of  wind  ap- 
peared), and  courage  in  the  face  of  frequent 
danger  tended  to  fit  him  for  his  later  leader- 
ship in  founding  organized  Christianity. 

2.  Unpromising  Material. 

His  development  as  a  leader  was  gradual. 
At  first  he  was  over-impulsive,  conceited, 
fickle,  and  very  slow  to  learn. 

(a)  His  over-impulsiveness  appears  in  his 
rash  attack  on  Malchus  at  the  time  of 
Jesus'  arrest.     (John  18  :  10-11.) 

(b)  His  conceit  is  shown  by  his  boasting. 
(Mark  14:29.) 

(c)  The  Master  pointed  out  his  fickleness 
to  him.     (Luke  22:31-32.) 

(d)  The  Master  rebuked  him  for  his  slow- 
ness to  understand.     (Matt.  16:  23.) 

3.  Leaders  must  be  developed. 

Even  Jesus  could  not  find  leaders  ready- 
made;  he  took  the  material  at  hand,  recog- 
nizing undeveloped  qualities  of  leadership  in 
his  followers ;  he  trained  them  for  responsi- 
bility.   When  first  he  met  Peter,  he  predicted 


PETER:    LEADERSHIP  59 

Peter  would  be  a  rock-like  leader.  (John  1 : 
42.)  In  the  church,  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  in  athletics,  in  politics,  and 
wherever  direction  is  required,  the  necessary- 
leadership  must  come  by  a  similar  method. 
The  world  is  looking  for  competent  leader- 
ship, but  it  comes  by  developing  the  qualities 
of  those  already  engaged  in  a  given  subject. 

4.  Everybody  has  a  Chance. 

The  ambition  to  be  a  leader  is  wholly  com- 
mendable. It  is  perfectly  right  for  a  player 
to  wish  to  captain  the  team  if  he  believes  he 
has  the  ability  to  do  so.  No  man  has  a  right 
to  seek  to  be  a  leader  unless  he  feels  he  can 
deliver  the  goods.  The  safest  rule  is  to  let 
the  other  fellows  judge  who  is  the  man  best 
fitted  to  lead.  If  a  man  has  qualities  for 
leadership,  they  will  surely  be  recognized 
without  his  pushing  himself  for  office.  Hu- 
mility is  a  sure  sign  of  greatness.  James  and 
John  and  their  mother  were  sharply  rebuked 
for  place-hunting  of  a  selfish  sort,  which  is 
always  despicable.     (Matt.  20 :  20-21.) 

5.  Some    Biblical     Descriptions    of    Peter's 

Leadership. 

(a)  He  was  usually  the  spokesman  for  the 
other  disciples.     (Matt.  16:16.) 

(b)  He  was  the  skipper  of  the  fishing  vessel. 
(Luke  5:3.) 

(c)  Probably  he  was   in  command  of  the 


60  ATHLETES    OF   THE   BIBLE 

vessel  which  crossed  the  lake  in  the  storm. 
(John  6:17-31.) 

(d)  After  the  crucifixion,  he  led  the  dis- 
ciples back  to  their  fishing.     (John  21 :  3.) 

(e)  He  took  the  leadership  of  the  church  at 
Pentecost,  and  with  Paul  was  its  chief 
leader  until  his  death,  when  he  was  cruci- 
fied head  downward. 

(f)  His  leadership  did  not  end  with  his 
death.  His  second  letter  to  the  church, 
which  is  preserved  in  our  Bible,  is  a  sort 
of  will  by  which  he  endeavors  that  after 
his  death  they  may  be  able  to  keep  these 
things  always  in  remembrance.  (H  Peter 
1:12-13;   3:1.) 

6.     A  Big  Question. 

Every  leader,  whether  boy  or  king,  must 
decide  whether  he  will  seek  his  own  advan- 
tage or  whether  he  will  serve  unselfishly 
those  whom  he  leads.  A  preacher  may  be 
selfish,  or  he  may  pour  out  his  life  for  his 
people.  A  political  leader  may  look  for  the 
main  chance,  or  he  may  really  try  to  do  the 
best  thing  for  those  who  elected  him.  All 
leaders  face  this  question.  Christ,  the 
supreme  leader,  had  no  thought  of  himself, 
but  gave  his  life  for  all  the  world. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.     What  things  happening  in  his  daily  work 
fitted  Peter  to  become  a  great  leader? 


PETER:    LEADERSHIP  61 

2.  What  were  his  outstanding  faults?  Are 
they  yours?  (John  18:10-11;  Mark  14:29; 
Luke  22:31-32;  Matt.  16:23.) 

3.  Cite  an  instance  of  his  great  weaknesses. 
(Mark  14 :  29  ;  John  18  :  10-11.) 

4.  Are  leaders  ready-made  or  must  they 
develop  themselves? 

5.  How  are  leaders  developed? 

6.  Give  instances  of  Peter's  ability  as  a 
leader.  (Matt.  16:16;  Luke  5:3;  John  6 :  17- 
31;  John  21 :  3  ;  II  Peter  3:1.) 

7.  What  big  question  must  every  leader  face  ? 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


PAUL,  The  Sailor  and  Swimmer 


Study  Subject:  Pluck 

Definition :  Perseverance  or  gameness  under 
difficulties 

Biblical  Material :  Acts  37:26;  II  Corinthians 
11 :  23-33 


"Get  health.     No  labor,  pains  or  exercise  that  can 
gain  it  must  be  grudged." — Emerson. 


XI.     PAUL'S    ATHLETIC    SYMPATHIES 

L     The  Influence  of  Boyhood  Scenes — Sailors, 
Soldiers  and  Gymnastics. 

(a)  Paul  was  born  in  Tarsus,  a  seaport  city 
of  great  importance,  with  a  world-wide 
commerce.  As  a  boy  visiting  the  water- 
front, he  saw  ships  and  met  sailors  from 
all  parts  of  the  then  known  world.  Thus 
he  came  to  know  and  love  the  active  life 
of  the  seafaring  man. 

(b)  While  there  was  no  garrison  of  Roman 
soldiers  at  Tarsus,  Paul  as  a  Roman  must 
early  have  come  in  contact  with  the  Roman 
soldiery.  He  repeatedly  refers  to  soldiers, 
weapons,  and  events  of  the  hand-to-hand 
warfare  which  was  the  only  kind  known  to 
his  age.  These  soldiers  were  necessarily 
athletic.  They  had  to  be  men  of  muscle 
and  physical  strength.  Paul  knew  and 
liked  their  outdoor  life. 

(c)  The  gymnasium  was  a  conspicuous  fea- 
ture of  the  life  of  his  time.  The  first  pub- 
lic or  municipal  gymnasium  was  located  at 
Tarsus.  Gladiatorial  contests,  which  were 
not  always  bloody,  were  the  national  sport, 
like  baseball  to-day.  Running,  quoit 
throwing,  wrestling,  and  boxing  were 
popular  games.  The  people  generally 
lived  an  outdoor  life,  and  to  the  Greeks, 
physical  development  was  as  important  as 


68  ATHLETES  OF  THE  BIBLE 

is  schooling  in  the  thought  of  our  age. 
Nothing  could  be  "good"  which  was  not 
"beautiful"  to  the  eye.  They  worshiped 
symmetry  of  body  as  they  worshiped 
symmetry  of  architecture.  Paul  was  edu- 
cated in  this  atmosphere. 

2.  Paul    Probably   did   not   have   a    Rugged 

Physique. 

We  have  no  way  of  knowing  about  Paul's 
own  physique.  His  exploits  would  indicate 
he  must  have  had  much  endurance.  Some 
think  his  "thorn  in  the  flesh"  (II  Cor.  12 :  7) 
was  a  physical  ailment  which  humiliated  him. 
There  is  at  least  one  mention  in  his  letters  of 
a  painful  sickness.     (Gal.  4: 13.) 

3.  Pluck  Does  not  Depend  on  Muscle. 

One  story  about  Paul,  which  may  or  may 
not  be  true,  is  that  he  was  small,  baldheaded, 
knock-kneed,  and  not  very  attractive  to  look 
at.  If  so,  he  is  an  example  of  how  a  man 
with  an  insignificant  body  can  still  have  a 
courageous  soul.  Many  men  have  the  spirit 
of  football  players  without  having  sufficient 
muscle  to  do  much  at  the  game.  Pluck  does 
not  necessarily  depend  on  muscle. 

4.  Sometimes  the  Small  Man  Triumphs. 
Pluck,   it  will  thus  be   seen,  is  as  much  a 
matter  of  the  spirit  as  of  the  body.     The 
smaller  boy  often  has  the  most  pluck.     The 


PAUL:    PLUCK  69 

bully  frequently  goes  down  before  a  man 
half  his  size.  What  really  counts  is  a  man's 
nerve.  Napoleon,  John  Wesley,  and  many 
of  the  world's  greatest  men  have  been  small 
in  stature. 

5.  His  Athletic  Interest. 

While  Paul  probably  performed  his  athletic 
feats  by  sheer  pluck,  and  while  he  had  not  the 
physique  of  the  athlete,  it  is  noticeable  he 
loved  strength  in  other  men  and  sympathized 
with  athletic  development.  Thus  many  a  col- 
lege student  who  would  be  happy  to  play  on 
the  teams  is  forced  to  play  the  game  from  the 
side  lines.  The  man  of  intellectual  and  spir- 
itual strength  should  not  sneer  at  physical 
power  simply  because  it  is  denied  him. 

6.  Some    Bible   Verses    w^hich    Show    Paul's 

Athletic  Sympathies. 

(a)  Running  and  fighting.      (I  Cor.  9:25- 
27.) 

(b)  Fighting  the  good   fight.      (I  Tim.   6: 
12.) 

(c)  A  runner  finishing  the  course.     (II  Tim. 
4:7.) 

(d)  The  bleachers.     (Hebr&ws  12  : 1.) 

(e)  The  armor  and  weapons  of  a  Roman 
soldier.     (Eph.  6:11-15.) 

(f)  Strength.     (Eph.  6:10.) 

(g)  The    Greek    games — wrestling.      (Eph. 
6:12.) 


70  ATHLETES   OF  THE   BIBLE 

7.  The  Modern  Church  Shares  Paul's  Ath- 
letic Sympathy, 
This  sympathy  with  physical  development, 
found  throughout  the  Bible,  is  repeated  in 
much  of  the  religious  thought  of  our  own 
time.  It  is  now  no  uncommon  thing  to  see 
an  athletic  minister.  "Billy"  Sunday  once 
played  baseball  on  the  Chicago  Nationals. 
Bishop  Hughes  is  an  expert  tennis  player. 
Many  boys'  clubs,  Sunday  school  classes, 
brotherhoods,  and  other  church  organizations 
have  baseball  or  basket  ball  teams.  The 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  through 
its  gymnasia  and  athletics,  is  everywhere 
preaching  a  gospel  of  health  and  physical 
development.  The  triangular  badge  of  the 
Association  stands  for  symmetrical  develop- 
ment of  body,  mind,  and  spirit. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  was  Paul's  early  environment? 

2.  Where  was  the  first  public  gymnasium 
located  ? 

3.  Does  pluck  depend  upon  muscle? 

4.  Upon  what  beside  muscle  does  pluck 
largely  depend? 

5.  Name  some  world  characters  who  were 
small  in  stature  or  physically  weak. 

6.  Give  instances  of  Paul's  athletic  sym- 
pathies. (I  Cor.  9:23-27;  I  Tim.  6:  12;  II  Tim. 
4:7;  Heb.  12:1;  Eph.  6 :  11-18,  6:10.) 

7.  How  does  the  modern  church  show  its 
interest  in  the  physical  welfare  of  humanity? 


FOR  NOTES 


XII.  SOME  OF  PAUL'S  PLUCKY 
ACHIEVEMENTS 

1.  An  Impromptu  Captain. 

Having  learned  much  about  the  sea  as  a  boy, 
he  practically  took  command  of  his  ship  in 
the  great  storm  which  wrecked  it,  because  he 
was  the  one  best  fitted  to  bring  hope  and 
safety  out  of  the  panic.  He  swam  ashore 
after  the  wreck,  possibly  by  aid  of  a  spar. 
(Acts  27.) 

2.  Other  Shipwrecks. 

(a)  At  one  time  after  being  shipwrecked  he 
was  in  the  water  a  day  and  a  night.  Only 
a  plucky  swimmer  could  have  survived. 
(H  Cor.  11:25.) 

(b)  In  all,  he  was  shipwrecked  four  times  at 
least,  but  still  continued  a  fearless  traveler 
in  his  great  work  of  bringing  Christianity 
for  the  first  time  to  Europe. 

3.  Mobbed. 

Knowing  his  life  was  in  greatest  danger,  he 
nevertheless  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  where  he 
was  attacked  by  an  angry  mob,  dragged  out 
of  the  Temple,  and  beaten  almost  to  death. 
He  was  fortunately  rescued  by  the  Roman 
soldiers  when  well-nigh  unconscious.  Never- 
theless, he  insisted,  bloody  and  bruised  as  he 
was,  on  facing  the  mob  from  the  stairs  and 


PAUL:   PLUCK  73 

preached  to  them  until  their  screeches  of 
rage  drowned  his  voice.  Nothing  daunted, 
he  tried  next  day  to  preach  to  the  Jewish 
ofificials,  and  later  when  he  could  have  been 
set  free  by  remaining  silent,  again  he  refused 
liberty  and  appealed  to  Nero,  remaining 
under  arrest  so  that  he  could  get  to  Rome, 
where  he  preached  also.     (Acts  23-37.) 

4.  Stoned. 

At  Lystra,  after  Paul  was  stoned  into  uncon- 
sciousness, so  the  people  thought  he  was 
dead,  they  threw  his  body  outside  the  city 
gate.  When  he  regained  consciousness, 
with  his  followers  he  went  immediately  back 
into  the  city  and  stayed  till  next  day.  (Acts 
14:19-20.) 

5.  Imprisoned. 

At  Philippi,  when  Paul  and  Silas  were  put 
in  prison  and  forced  to  sit  all  night  with  feet 
in  stocks,  instead  of  being  discouraged,  they 
sang  and  prayed.     (Acts  16  :  25.) 

6.  Flogged. 

Five  times  Paul  w^as  flogged  with  thirty-nine 
lashes.  Besides  this,  he  was  "beaten  with 
rods"  three  times.  (II  Cor.  11 :  24,  25.)  His 
body  must  have  been  covered  with  scars. 
Perhaps  he  called  these  "the  marks  of  the 
Lord  Jesus"  for  whose  sake  he  endured  all 
this. 


74  ATHLETES   OF  THE   BIBLE 

7.  Beheaded. 

He  was  betrayed  by  false  friends,  robbed  in 
the  wilderness,  often  hungry,  often  cold, 
sometimes  ragged  and  shivering,  often  "in 
weariness  and  painfulness,"  yet  nothing 
could  stop  this  grand  hero,  who  was  so 
anxious  to  spread  Christianity  that  he  per- 
severed until,  when  he  had  "finished  the 
course,"  he  was  beheaded  by  order  of  Nero 
in  the  Appian  Way  at  Rome. 

8.  Livingstone  a  Modem  Paul. 

The  nearest  approach  to  the  pluck  of  Paul 
anywhere  found  in  the  modern  world  is  the 
courage  of  David  Livingstone,  whose  life- 
story  every  boy  who  loves  bravery  should 
read. 

9.  The  Yellow  Streak  Dooms  the  Athlete. 

Pluck  or  gameness  or  nerve,  shown  in  Paul's 
life  as  part  of  his  Christian  character,  is  an 
essential  quality  of  the  successful  athlete. 
Strength,  control,  physical  endurance,  are  all 
in  vain  if  a  man  has  the  spirit  of  a  quitter. 

10.  The  Spiritual  Value  of  Pluck. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  value  of  athletics  is  in 
giving  a  man  a  plucky  spirit  to  fight  through 
his  life  work,  making  him  unafraid  to  oppose 
evil  and  manfully  "fight  the  good  fight." 


PAUL:    PLUCK  75 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  Cite  two  instances  of  Paul's  pluck,  bravery, 
and  skill  as  a  sailor  and  swimmer.  (Acts  27; 
II  Cor.  11:25.) 

2.  Give  an  account  of  his  plucky  achieve- 
ments in  Acts  22-27,  14: 19,  16 :  25  ;  II  Cor.  11 : 
24-33. 

3.  In  what  way  does  the  life  of  David  Living- 
stone offer  a  splendid  parallel? 

4.  How  important  is  pluck  in  the  makeup  of 
an  athlete? 

5.  What  is  the  spiritual  value  of  pluck? 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR   NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


JESUS,  The  Perfectly  Balanced  Personality 


Study  Subject:  Balance 

Definition:  Combination  of  the  strong  qualities 
of  personality  so  that  each  has  its  right  pro- 
portion and  none  is  overdeveloped. 

Biblical    Material:    Matthew    23:1-33,    10:38, 
5:17. 
Mark  1 :  34-35,  3  :  15-20 ; 
Luke  2  :  52,  4 :  28-30,  4 :  8-12,  19  :  45-46  ; 
John  11 :  35,  12  :  3,  18  :  6,  18  :  33,  19  :  17. 


"There  are  conditions  for  each  individual  under 
which  he  can  do  the  most  and  best  work.  It  is  his 
business  to  ascertain  those  conditions  and  to  comply 
with  them." — Luther  H.  Gulick. 


XIII.     THE  PHYSIQUE  OF  JESUS 

1.  There  is  no  authentic  information  about 
Jesus'  physical  appearance.  The  artists'  pic- 
tures of  his  face  and  form  are  based  on  a 
superstitious  story  which  comes  from  early 
ages  concerning  the  miraculous  appearance 
of  his  likeness  on  a  handkerchief.  The  world 
HQuld^ay  any  price  for_a..genuine  picture  of 
the  Saviour. 

2.  We  can  be  perfectly  sure  that  whatever  his 
body  may  have  been  like,  his  personality  was 
not  effeminate,-  On  the  contrary,  he  was  the 
most  vigorous,  brave,  and  masculine  char- 
acter of  all  history.  Single-handed  he  started 
a  revolution  against  the  most  powerful  men 
of  his  day,  who  at  last  killed  him  but  could 
not  conquer  him. 

3.  Reasons   for  Thinking  He  had  a  Strong 

Physique. 

(a)  The  story  of  his  life,  told  by  the  physi- 
cian Luke,  speaks  of  his  "growth  in  wis- 
dom and  stature  and  in  favor  with  God 
and  man."     (Luke  2 :  52.) 

(b)  He  worked  for  many  years  as  a  car- 
penter and  woodworker.  Later,  when  he 
came  to  be  a  preacher,  he  often  used  illus- 
trations drawn  from  his  carpenter  days ; 
as,  "the  green  wood  and  dry"  and  the 
"house  built  on  a  sure  foundation." 


/ 


82  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

(c)  In  those  days  of  rough  poverty  for  all 
classes  of  people  except  the  nobles  and 
soldiers,  coarse  food  and  heavy  work  v^ere 
the  rule  of  all  the  common  people. 

(d)  There  is  nowhere  in  the  gospels  any 
hint  of  weakness  or  physical  peculiarity 
such  as  we  see  in  Paul's  life. 

(e)  During  the  years  of  his  public  ministry, 
his  days  and  nights  were  filled  with  taxing 
and  continuous  work  of  teaching  and  heal- 
ing. Under  the  strain  of  his  struggle  with 
the  Sadducees  and  Pharisees,  no  one  could 
have  survived  such  hardships  without 
extraordinary  power. 

(f)  He  lived  out  of  doors,  preaching  and 
teaching  and  healing,  mostly  by  the  road- 
side and  in  the  open  fields.  Traveling 
hundreds  of  miles,  he  never  used  a  con- 
veyance, but  went  with  his  disciples  on 
foot,  from  Galilee  through  Samaria  to 
Jerusalem,  back  and  forth  many  times. 
He  was  at  home  alike  on  the  water,  on  the 
road,  and  at  his  workbench. 

Events  which  would  Indicate  a  Command- 
ing Personal  Presence. 

(a)  In  his  first  sermon  in  his  own  town,  the 
people  were  so  angered  by  his  denunciation 
that  like  a  mob  they  rushed  him  to  the  top 
of  the  precipice,  intending  to  throw  him 


JESUS:    BALANCE  83 

over,  but  he  "passing  through  the  midst 
of  them  went  his  way."     (Luke  4  :  28-30.) 

(b)  Repeatedly  he  braved  the  wrath  of  the 
Pharisees,  denouncing  them  face  to  face, 
but  they  never  dared  to  attack  him  openly. 
(Matl.,23;jl-33.) 

(c)  He  thrashed  a  mob  and  single-handed 
drove  the  money-changers  with  a  whip 
from  the  Temple.     (John  2: 15-16.) 

(d)  When  the  soldiers  and  the  Jews  came 
to  arrest  him  in  the  garden,  they  fell  to  the 
ground  in  fear  of  him.     (John  18 :  6.) 

(e)  Pilate  came  to  be  almost  afraid  of  him 
during  the  trial.      (John   18:33-19:16.) 

(f)  After  the  trial,  despite  all  his  fatigue, 
loss  of  sleep,  and  his  many  wounds,  he 
carried  the  heavy  cross  for  a  considerable 
distance.     (John  19: 17.) 

Studying  thus  the  life  of  Jesus,  we  see  how 
mistaken  were  the  men  who  thought  their 
bodies  were  wholly  evil,  so  that  they  went 
into  monasteries  and  beat  themselves  with 
whips  and  "humiliated  the  flesh,"  Jesus  had 
a  healthy  out-of-door  interest  in  life,  loved 
to  eat  and  drink  and  be  happy,  and  doubtless 
had  a  muscular  right  arm  of  which  he  was 
proud.  The  man  who  thinks  it  is  holy  to 
have  a  weak  body  never  learned  the  idea 
from  Christ. 


84  ATHLETES  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  Give  proofs  that  Jesus  had  a  powerful 
physique. 

2.  Name  several  events  which  prove  his  com- 
manding personality. 

3.  From  your  study  of  Jesus,  what  was  his 
opinion  of  the  desirability  of  a  clean,  strong  body 
for  men? 


FOR  NOTES 

7r 

iuw 

\            , 

;     4 

i 

'  '  '. 

,\Z~   1 

:  /i 

ij 

;/7. 

G 


'^^^C:iy' 


r  ;;:-' 


/JvV«rt£^^^^' 


XIV.     BALANCE 

The  Triangle. 

The  three  aspects  of  human  Hfe  requiring 

balanced  development  are  body,  mind,  and 

soul. 

The  Symmetrical  Christ. 

In  Jesus,  body,  mind,  and  soul  were  devel- 
oped in  perfect  proportion.  He  is  the  ideal 
man,  sent  by  God  to  show  us  what  we  should 
be  hke.  He  is  the  finest  example  of  sym- 
metrical all-round  personality  the  world  has 
ever  seen. 

The  Model. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  men  of  such  very 
different  types  turn  to  Jesus.  Teachers  find 
him  the  ideal  teacher.  Preachers  find  him 
the  ideal  preacher.  Artists  wish  they  could 
see  nature  with  his  eyes.  Workmen  see  how 
he  made  toil  sacred.  The  ordinary  man  who 
believes  God  meant  we  should  be  strong  in 
body  and  mind  and  soul  turns  to  Jesus  for 
his  model. 

Illustration :  "Pa"  Roberts,  for  forty  years  a 
great  influence  in  the  Boston  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  speaking  of  the  unbal- 
anced life,  used  to  say  "an  egg  will  not  roll 
nearly  as  far  as  a  ball,  because  it  is  not  well 
rounded." 


JESUS:    BALANCE  87 

4.  The  Healer. 

Jesus'  idea  about  the  importance  of  a  strong 
and  healthful  body  may  be  learned  from  the 
fact  that  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  cor- 
recting deformities  and  curing  various  kinds 
of  diseases.     (Mark  1:34.) 

5.  Science. 

Modern  physiology  bears  this  out  in  showing 
us  that  sound  vital  organs,  supplied  by  rich, 
red  blood,  are  necessary  to  normal  life. 

6.  The  Superiority  of  Soul. 

Yet  a  strong  body,  unless  it  is  governed  by  a 
developed  mind,  and  unless  it  is  used  for 
some  fine  moral  purpose,  has  little  value. 
Few  athletes  would  wish  to  be  like  that  type 
of  lumber-jack  who  is  illiterate  and  dissi- 
pated, despite  his  magnificent  physical  devel- 
opment. An  uncontrolled  strength  is  worse 
than  weakness.  Indeed,  however  important 
physical  development  may  seem  to  the  ath- 
lete, Jesus  teaches  that  the  development  of 
the  mind  and  soul  is  far  more  important.  He 
said  one  day,  "Fear  not  them  who  are  able 
to  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the 
soul."     (Matt.  10:28.) 

7.  Some  Striking  Qualities. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  it  is  in  the 
balance  of  mental  and  spiritual  qualities  that 
the  world  has  learned  its  richest  lessons  from 
Jesus. 


ATHLETES    OF    THE    BIBLE 

(a)  He  was  joyful  without  being  frivolous 
or  indifferent.  Dr.  Fosdick  points  out 
that  the  only  two  times  Jesus  ever 
bothered  to  explain  his  conduct  were 
when  he  was  accused  of  being  too  happy. 
(Mark  2:15-20.)  Yet  he  wept  at 
Lazarus'  death.     (John  11:35.) 

(b)  He  could  be  indignant  without  losing 
his  temper.  He  denounced  Scribes  and 
Pharisees  for  their  sins  against  widows 
and  orphans  (Matt.  23: 14),  but  would 
not  say  a  word  in  his  own  behalf  to 
Pilate  (John  18:36). 

(c)  He  loved  companionship,  and  his 
chief  pleasure  was  in  his  close  friend- 
ships (John  12:2),  yet  he  demanded 
time  for  solitude  and  prayer  ( Mark  1 : 
35). 

(d)  He  was  progressive,  breaking  many 
sacred  traditions,  like  eating  with  his 
unwashed  hands,  doing  good  on  Sunday, 
and  eating  all  kinds  of  meat — yet  he 
was  careful  and  conservative,  coming 
"not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfill  the  law  and 
the  prophets."    (Matt.  5  :  17.) 

(e)  He  was  absolutely  fearless,  even  in 
the  face  of  pain,  poverty,  misunder- 
standing, and  death,  yet  he  would  do 
nothing  for  mere  bravado  and  self-inter- 
est.    (Luke  4:8-12.) 


JESUS:    BALANCE  89 

8.  A  Modern  Example. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  who  for  years  studied  the 
life  of  Jesus  and  tried  to  be  like  him,  is  a 
fine  modern  example  of  balance.  Trained  in 
the  woods,  even  after  he  became  President 
he  astonished  the  nation  by  his  marvelous 
feats  of  strength.  Mentally  he  was  one  of 
the  most  highly  developed  men  America  has 
produced,  and  much  of  his  education  he  dug 
out  of  books  for  himself.  He  was  a  great 
student  of  the  Bible.  Spiritually,  he  has 
often  been  compared  to  the  Master. 

9.  The  Most  Needed  Characteristic. 

It  is  this  quality  of  balance,  perhaps,  which 
we  should  most  seek.  Muscle  without  mind 
and  soul  is  mere  brute  strength.  Mind  with- 
out health,  or  without  spiritual  restraint,  is 
handicapped  and  may  be  dangerous.  Spirit- 
ual zeal  without  education  and  normal  physi- 
cal life  is  likely  to  be  fanatical  and  one- 
sided and  cranky.  Perfect  manhood — the 
Jesus  kind — is  symmetrically  developed. 

Questions  for  Discussion 

1.  What  is  balance  ? 

2.  Why  is  Jesus  the  finest  example  of  balance 
or  symmetrical  personality  the  world  has  ever 
known  ? 

3.  What  proofs  have  we  that  Jesus  consid- 
ered a  strong  and  healthy  body  important  ? 


90  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

4.  How  does  modern  physiology  bear  this 
out? 

5.  Show  the  need  of  a  balanced  life, 

6.  From  the  following,  point  out  the  qualities 
by  which  the  world  has  learned  its  richest  lessons 
in  balance:  Mark  2:15-20;  John  18:36;  Matt. 
23  :  13-23  :  John  9  :  10  ;  John  12  :  2  ;  Mark  1 :  35  ; 
Matt.  5:17;  Luke  11:8-12. 

7.  Give  a  fine  modern  example  of  balance. 

8.  Why  should  we  seek  the  balanced  life? 


FOR  NOTES 


FOR  NOTES 


APPENDIX 

"CONNIE"   MACK'S   VIEWS    ON   CIGARETTE 
SMOKING 

Dear  Sir  : 

Yours  of  January  1  received,  and  in  reply  will 
say  that  there  is  very  little  cigarette  smoking 
among  our  baseball  boys.  We  do  everything  in 
our  power  to  discourage  the  use  of  cigarettes, 
knowing  the  great  harm  it  has  done  to  those 
who  have  been  in  the  habit  of  using  them. 

We  find  that  those  players  who  do  smoke 
never  amount  to  a  great  deal  in  the  profession, 
and  I  would  say  that  this  goes  for  all  profes- 
sions. It  is  my  candid  opinion,  and  I  have 
watched  very  closely  the  last  dozen  years  or 
more,  that  boys  at  the  age  of  ten  to  fifteen  who 
have  continued  smoking  cigarettes  do  not  as  a 
rule  amount  to  anything.  They  are  unfitted  in 
every  way  for  any  kind  of  work  where  brains 
are  needed.  Players,  for  instance,  who  should 
otherwise  have  continued  in  the  game  until  they 
were  at  the  age  of  thirty  or  thirty-five,  have  had 
to  be  let  out  years  before  their  time,  as  the 
poisonous  cigarettes  getting  into  their  system 
have  unnerved  and  weakened  them  so  that  they 
were  utterly  unfit  for  the  duty  that  they  had  to 
perform. 

No  boy  or  man  can  expect  to  succeed  in  this 
world  to  a  high  position  and  continue  the  use 
of  cigarettes. 


94  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

After  all,  it  is  only  a  habit,  and  every  one 
should  have  will  power  enough  to  overcome  such 
a  habit.  There  are  many  other  ways  that  one 
can  enjoy  himself  without  the  ruination  of 
health,  and  this  cannot  be  done  if  cigarette 
smoking  is  continued. 

Yours  very  truly, 

"Connie"  Mack. 

The  above  letter  from  "Connie"  Mack,  man- 
ager of  the  Pennant  Winners  in  the  American 
League,  shows  what  a  practical  and  successful 
general  knows  about  cigarettes. 

THE     PHYSIOLOGICAL     EFFECTS     OF 
ALCOHOL  AND  TOBACCO 

B.  Deane  Brink 

Investigation  shows  that  alcohol  tends  to  para- 
lyze, retard,  and  disturb  the  central  brain  func- 
tions. Experiments  in  calculation,  typesetting, 
and  memorizing  show  an  increased  number  of 
mistakes. 

A  prominent  physician,  the  examiner  for  a 
life  insurance  company,  had  this  experience.  *T 
passed  as  unusually  good  risks  five  Germans — 
young  business  men — who  seemed  in  the  best  of 
health  and  to  have  superb  constitutions.  In  a 
few  years  I  was  amazed  to  see  the  whole  five 
drop  off,  one  after  another,  with  what  ought  to 
be  mild  and  easily  curable  diseases.    On  compar- 


APPENDIX  95 

ing  my  experience  with  that  of  other  physicians, 
I  found  they  were  all  having  similar  luck  with 
confirmed  beer  drinkers,  and  my  practice  since 
has  heaped  confirmation  upon  confirmation." — 
Quoted  from  Barker's  "Saloon  Problem  and 
Social  Reform." 

Insanity,  nervous  diseases,  and  a  long  list  of 
physical  ills  are  directly  traceable  to  the  use  of 
beer  and  other  alcoholic  liquors.  Get  the  book 
quoted  above  and  read  further  into  this  social 
evil,  which  is  rightly  called  "the  great  American 
issue  to-day." 

The  superintendent  of  the  Milwaukee  poor- 
house  said  that  the  saloons  are  responsible  for 
more  than  two-thirds  of  Milwaukee's  county 
paupers. 

Men  about  to  commit  a  crime  first  drink 
heavily.  This  was  true  of  the  assassins  of  Lin- 
coln, Three  of  the  conspirators  were  common 
drunkards,  one  was  a  rumseller,  and  Booth  him- 
self was  a  heavy  drinker.  The  assassin  of  Gar- 
field drank  heavily  before  committing  his  deed. 
The  assassin  of  McKinley  was  a  product  of  the 
saloon.  The  man  who  shot  Roosevelt  was  a 
saloonkeeper. 

"Drinking  of  alcoholic  beverages,  if  abolished, 
would  rip  the  social  evil  up  the  back,  sever  its 
spinal  cord,  and  eliminate  from  the  face  of  the 
earth  chronic  invalidism,  deformities,  premature 
deaths,  blindness,  feeble-mindedness,  and  insan- 
ity."—Dr.  DeWitt  G.  Wilcox,  Boston. 


96  ATHLETES    OF   THE   BIBLE 

"To  alcohol  and  tobacco,  can  be  attributed 
directly  the  great  moral  and  physical  degeneracy 
of  the  day." — Dr.  D.  H.  Kress,  of  Chicago,  dis- 
coverer of  the  silver  nitrate  treatment  as  a  cure 
for  the  cigarette  habit. 

The  Physiological  Effects.  In  an  article  in  the 
Popular  Science  Monthly,  Dr.  George  E.  Meylan, 
of  Columbia  University,  gives  the  results  of 
scientific  investigations  from  which  we  quote  the 
following  facts: 

In  from  five  to  ten  minutes  after  beginning  to 
smoke  an  ordinary  cigar,  muscular  power  began 
to  diminish,  and  in  an  hour,  when  the  cigar  was 
burned,  it  had  fallen  to  about  twenty-five  per  cent 
of  its  initial  value. 

From  his  observations  of  223  college  students 
he  found  that  students  who  use  tobacco  invari- 
ably rank  lower  in  scholarship  than  students  who 
do  not  smoke.  College  students  who  acquire 
the  smoking  habit  before  entering  college  are 
about  eight  months  older  at  entrance  than  the 
non-smokers. 

All  scientists  who  have  studied  the  physiologi- 
cal effects  of  tobacco  upon  man  and  animals 
are  agreed  that  it  has  a  depressing  influence 
upon  the  heart  and  circulation ;  also,  that  any- 
thing which  interferes  with  the  vigor  of  the  cir- 
culation has  a  retarding  eflfect  upon  growth. 

All  scientists  are  agreed  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
in  the  teen  age  is  injurious.  Regarding  its  use 
by  healthy,  mature  men,  Dr.  Meylan  says  there 


APPENDIX  97 

is  no  scientific  evidence  that  it  is  either  beneficial 
or  injurious.  On  certain  individuals,  and  on  all 
who  use  it  excessively,  there  is  much  evidence 
showing  its  injurious  effects.  It  has  been  shown 
conclusively,  he  says,  that  the  use  of  tobacco  by 
college  students  is  closely  associated  with  idle- 
ness, lack  of  ambition,  lack  of  appreciation,  and 
low  scholarship. 

Age  when  Smokers  Acquire  the  Habit.  Of 
115  college  student  smokers  investigated  by  Dr. 
George  L.  Meylan  at  Columbia  University,  and 
reported  in  the  Popular  Science  Monthly,  Au- 
gust, 1910,  the  ages  when  they  first  learned  to 
smoke  were  as  follows : 

Age  7    8    9    10    11    12    13     14    15    16    17    18     19    20    21 

Number       10    0      2      0      2      0    11    11    18    30    23    16      0      1 

Tests  made  by  the  writer  to  determine  the 
effects  of  smoking  upon  blood  pressure,  showed 
that  the  action  of  tobacco  was  to  produce  a 
marked  and  injurious  effect  upon  the  heart  and 
nervous  system. 

THE  MORAL  VALUE  OF  PLAYGROUNDS 

I  have  a  statement  from  our  neighborhood 
policeman  in  which  he  says  our  playground  has 
been  as  valuable  to  the  city  as  ten  policemen. 
The  former  chief  of  police  said  that  the  play- 
ground had  materially  assisted  in  controlling  the 
rougher  boys  of  the  community.  One  of  the 
boys  on  the  playground  said  to  me,  "One  thing 
you  have  done,  Mr,  Bellamy,  in  opening  up  this 


98  ATHLETES    OF   THE    BIBLE 

playground  is  to  stop  the  boys  shooting  craps." 
I  am  confident  that  in  answer  to  your  first  ques- 
tion, the  playground  and  much  of  our  club  and 
class  work  have  caused  less  lying,  stealing  and 
gambling,  and,  I  am  sure,  fewer  arrests,  for  this 
work  has  been  a  substitute  for  the  lawlessness  of 
the  street  wdiich  would  have  been  the  life  of  the 
children. 

As  to  the  second  question,  I  have  a  statement 
from  our  chief  probation  officer  that  our  Hiram 
House  Camp  has  been  a  positive  assistance  to 
him  in  decreasing  juvenile  delinquents  and  in 
building  up  a  better  standard  of  life.  I  am  sure 
our  playground  and  club  work  in  the  House 
deserve  just  as  much  force  of  argument  as  the 
Camp. 

George  A.  Bellamy, 
Headworker,  The  Hiram  House, 

Cleveland,  Ohio. 

ROBERTS'  TALK  ON  TRAINING    ^ 

He  is  a  wise  young  man  who  daily  trains  the 
powers  of  his  body,  mind,  and  soul,  for  he  will 
be  healthier,  happier,  thriftier,  wiser,  longer- 
lived,  and,  best  of  all,  more  spiritual,  and  so,  of 
course,  of  more  use  to  his  fellow  man. 

Every  young  man  should  make  it  the  chief 
aim  of  his  life  to  be  a  "jolly  good  fellow"  in  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  idea  of  that 
term ;  then  earth  will  be  to  him  a  heaven  below. 
The  ideal  Association  young  man  strives  to  be  a 


APPENDIX  99 

whole,  wholesome,  wise,  thrifty,  and  spiritual 
man,  one  who  is  always  "on  deck"  and  on  his 
"tiptoes"'  for  the  right  in  all  his  doings — physical, 
mental,  and  spiritual ;  one  who  daily  realizes  that 
a  little  nonsense  now  and  then  is  as  much  a  Chris- 
tian duty  as  it  is  to  attend  to  business  in  business 
hours,  or  to  his  mental  work  at  the  proper  time, 
or  chop  or  saw  wood,  or  take  a  sweating  hour's 
work  every  day  or  so  in  the  gymnasium. 

A  young  man  must  try  and  live  a  balanced 
life  if  he  wants  to  do  the  most  good  in  this  life. 
A  ball  will  roll  further  than  an  egg  because  it  is 
round;  so  the  well-rounded  man  in  body,  mind, 
and  soul  work  will  go  further  in  all  his  doings 
than  the  man  who  only  develops  one  or  two  of 
these  powers  and  allows  the  others  to  rot  away 
from  want  of  use.  The  physical  and  spiritual 
powers  are  the  ones  that  most  men  use  too  little 
for  their  health's  sake.  Every  live  young  man 
must  train  his  mind  or  in  a  little  while  he  won't 
be  worth  more  than  a  dollar  or  two  a  day  and  in 
his  late  middle  life  he  won't  be  worth  that.  But 
he  is  not  obliged  to  train  his  body  and  soul,  and 
so  he  often,  unwisely,  neglects  them ;  for  which 
fact,  if  he  lives  long  enough,  he  will  be  very 
sorry,  when  it  is  too  late. 

Personally,  from  over  forty-five  years  of  deal- 
ing with  young  men,  I  have  seen  and  talked  with 
many  who  have  made  the  great  mistake  of  devel- 
oping their  minds  at  the  expense  of  their  bodies 
and  souls. 


100  ATHLETES    OF    THE    BIBLE 

I  want  to  see  Christian  young  men  the  ideal 
young  men,  and  I  would  advise  them  to  study 
their  Bibles  to  see  what  fine  athletic  young  men 
there  were  in  those  far-off  days,  and  how  spirit- 
ual they  were  as  well  as  worldly-wise.  I  am 
very  sorry  to  say  that  too  many  Christian  men 
sadly  neglect  God's  best  earthly  gift  to  them — 
their  bodies — and  so  set  bad  examples  to  the 
young  men  who  come  under  their  influence. 

I  wish  every  person  who  reads  this  little  talk 
would  memorize  this  hint  and  say  it  aloud  as  he 
does  his  morning  and  evening  dumb-bell  or  free- 
hand drill.  He-is-a-zy/.f(7-man-who-Jai7y-trains- 
the-powers-of-his-body,-mind,-and-soul. 

Robert  J.  Roberts, 

CITY  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  DEVELOP- 
MENT 

B.  Deane  Brink 

While  in  this  outline,  much  emphasis  has  been 
placed  on  country  life  and  its  influence  on  char- 
acter, still  there  is  something  to  be  said  on  the 
other  side. 

In  the  cities  we  find  much  that  is  evil  and  foul, 
yet  we  find  there  represented  the  greatest  philan- 
thropy, the  greatest  purity,  and  examples  of  the 
most  aggressive  and  nol)le  courage. 

The  conscious  direction  of  one's  activities 
toward  a  given  end  is  more  easily  accomplished 


APPENDIX  101 

in  the  city  because  of  the  agencies  by  which  he 
may  surround  himself ;  such  as  educational  insti- 
tutions, libraries,  churches,  and  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  to  say  nothing  of  the  mul- 
tiplied opportunities  for  personal  contact  with 
individuals  and  the  mutual  benefit  derived  there- 
from. 

"He  who  serves  his  brother  best 
Gets  nearer  God  than  all  the  rest." 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

How  to  Get  Strong  and  How  to  Stay  So. 

Wm.   Blaikie    $1 . 00 

Health,  Strength  and  Power.    D.  A.  Sar- 
gent         1.75 

Strength  and  Diet.    R.  Russell 4 .  40 

Preventable  Diseases.    Woods  Hutchin- 
son          1.50 

Food  Values.    E.  A.  Locke 1 .  25 

Athletic  Library :  A.  G.  Spalding. 

142 — Physical  Training  Simplified 25 

149— The  Care  of  the  Body 10 

161 — Ten-Minute    Exercises    for    Busy 

Men   10 

185— Health  Hints 10 

208 — Physical  Education  and  Hygiene  .        .25 

213—285  Health  Answers    25 

285 — Health — By  Muscular  Gymnastics        .  10 
288 — Indigestion  Treated  by   Gymnas- 
tics    25 


\ 

102  ATHLETES  OF  THE  BIBLE 

290— Get  Well— Keep  Well 25 

325 — Twenty  Minute  Exercises 10 

330 — Physical  Training  for  School  and 

Classroom     25 

346 — How  to  Live  One  Hundred  Years       .  10 
Education  by  Plays  and  Games.     G.  E. 

Johnson 90 

How  to  Play.    A.  R.  Wells 75 

At  Home  in  the  Water.     G.  H.  Corsan. 

(New  and  enlarged  edition)    1.00 

The  Use  of  Life.     Sir  John   Lubbock       .80 
Making    Life    Worth    While.      H.    W. 

Fisher    60 

Happiness.    Horace  Fletcher  1.00 

The  Second  Mile.    H.  E.  Fosdick 40 

Reproduction  and  Sexual  Hygiene.    W.  S. 

Hall   90 

From  Youth  Into  Manhood.    W.  S.  Hall       .50 
Sex  Education  Series : 

Life's  Beginnings.    W.  S.  Hall 25 

Developing    Into    Manhood.      W.     S. 

Hall   25 

Engagement    and    Marriage.       O.     G. 

Cocks    25 

Social  Evil  and  Methods  of  Treatment. 

O.  G.  Cocks 25 

Village  Life  in  the  Holy  Land.    John  D. 

Whiting.      (Article  in  the  National  Geo- 
graphic Magazine,  March,  1914.) 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


PHONE  RENEW 
3-5{tJVI 

4116  271985 

RECEIVED 

0CT-S'85'4PM 

ED/PSYCH  LIB; 


^hl 


'^^^^ycH  ub: 


IS  825-7622      ' 
MOV  0  5  198?i      :d 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  619  740    4 


^- 


^% 


% 


Y' 


^        (>^        »— ^ 


"DUCATION 
LIDRARY 


•  ^ 


O 


BS 
'7a 


t^ 


9. 


Sl  <§.   ^ 


% 


^ 


■r^ 


